Avalon - 1: Raven and the Lord
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: A few years after the Dark was vanquished, Bran and the Drews begin to remember everything that had happened. As they search for the cause of it, they embark on an adventure that introduces them to new friends and discover new foes, each scarier than the last, one in particular that only the Pendragon can defeat. All characters belong to their respective owners.
1. Fabled

Bran glanced at Will, the two had been working silently in the late August afternoon, Will apparently trying to figure everything out. It had only been a couple of years since the Dark had been defeated and the four mortals who witnessed it all had had their memories wiped of the whole affair, but Bran and the three Drew children had been having their memories restored, bit by bit every night for the past month. Will had already gone to see the Drews a few weeks ago, not long after it all started, and now he was working on his uncle's farm along with Bran while the two tried to figure out what was going on. The silence was what really worried Bran, he knew that Will was ecstatic at no longer being the only one who remembered what had happened, but being the last of the Old Ones, he had to find out why a spell laid down by another Old One had been broken. Bran went back to his work, wondering, what creature, what being could be more powerful than an Old One? He paused slightly as another memory flashed through his mind, could a dragon be more powerful?

"Um, Will?" Will glanced up sharply, a little hope dawning in his eyes.

"Have you thought of something?" he asked perhaps a little too eagerly. Though Will was an Old One, there were those times when he acted like any normal teen.

"Um, I guess. What about a dragon?"

Will laughed a bit harshly, "A dragon? Since when?"

"Since I just remembered one approaching me when I was just a wee kid and breathed on me."

Will glanced at him questioningly, "What exactly do you remember about this dragon?"

Bran leaned on his plow, "I remember thinking what a magnificent creature he was, his red scales shone like rubies in the morning sun. He spoke first before approaching me."

"He spoke?" Will's interest was now peaked.

Bran glanced at him, "Uh, yeah, there were dragons who can speak."

"What did he say?" asked Will, his curiosity overlooking the statement.

"He told me that I had nothing to fear from him, he was here to give me a message, and that I would remember it when it was time . . ." Bran took a pause as he slowly pieced the whole thing together.

"Bran? Bran, what was the message?"

Bran sat down before glancing up at Will with a twinge of fear in his tawny eyes, "H-he said that I must trust the dragonborn, for though we will defeat the Dark, we cannot completely vanquish Evil, and I will face it many more times on my journey."

"Wait, what? He knew about the Dark? And your journey? What journey?"

Bran shrugged, "I don't know, he didn't say, and I was too fascinated by him to ask for specifics. I just merely thought that it would be a journey much like the Knights of the Round Table would go on. Will, he also that I must be brave, for my next foe will be almost worse than the Dark itself."

Will's eyes widened, "What? What in the world could be worse than the Dark?"

"I-I don't know, Will, that's why I'm scared. What if, what if the High Magic has no affect on it?" whispered Bran. Will sat next to him, trying to fight his own fears and trying to find the words to say to comfort his friend. But when minutes passed and no words came, deeper fear and dread creeped upon them. "Will, what should we do?"

Will let out a heavy sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't know, Bran, I don't know. Did the dragon say anything else?"

Bran glanced down and bit his lip before continuing, "C-Cafall came running to me, as if to protect me from what he perceived at first to be a danger, but when the dragon did nothing, he calmly sat down, almost as if he was giving the dragon permission to continue." Bran paused, thinking of his dear friend, before taking a deep, shaky breath. "Th-the dragon said someone looked like Cafall, and that could only mean he would be my genie . . ."

Will jumped up, "Wait, did you just say genie?" Bran nodded, glancing up at Will when he heard him mutter something under his breath. Will sucked in a breath, "Genies use high magic! Or, at least something very near it. No wonder why Merriman's spell didn't work for very long! But, did the Drews meet a genie too, and they just haven't remembered it yet?"

Bran shrugged, "It's a possibility, it would explain why they're remembering too."

"Well, then we must go see them and find out!" Will turned to walk away, but Bran's voice made him pause.

"Will?"

He glanced at the albino, "Yes, Bran?"

"Do we have to forget again?"

Will ran his fingers through his brown hair, "Probably not, the genie placed his spell on you before Merriman did or I will, so it takes precedence."

Bran smiled with relief, "Good, I don't want to forget again."

"Bran," began Will, but he was interrupted by a shriek. The two boys glanced around for the source when another cry met their ears.

"Julia!" Bran saw her first, and dashed towards the girl tumbling down the hill, Will not far behind. Bran reached her just in time, catching her before her head hit the rocks.

"H-hey, are you alright?" She blinked up at him before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Y-yes, thank you," she muttered shakily as he helped her up.

"Julia! Are you alright?" asked the girl who wrapped Julia in a bear hug.

"I'm fine, Louisa, this fellow caught me." Julia smiled gratefully at Bran. Louisa glanced at her friend's rescuer and did a double take. Bran was by no means handsome, being practically whitewashed except for his tawny eyes, and wearing practically nothing but black probably wasn't helping his strange appearance. Will, on the other hand, provided a much more handsome figure. Bran could tell he arrived when he felt his reassuring pat on his shoulder and the change on Louisa's face.

"Oh, hello," she smiled at Will. "Thank you for saving my sister." Both boys blinked and glanced at each other with questions on their faces, sister? The two looked nothing like siblings, and Will in particular knew, having come from a family of eleven. Though both girls had blonde hair, Louisa had more of a golden color, while Julia's was what you would normally think of as blonde. Louisa also had grey eyes, was slightly more plump, and had smaller, more angular features. Julia, on the other hand, had greenish-brown eyes, with somewhat larger, rounder features, and a thinner frame that made her look taller.

Julia chuckled nervously, "We're actually step-sisters, but we've become so close that it seems like we were already family to begin with."

Bran smiled tightly, "Ah, that explains everything. Are you sure you're alright?"

Julia nodded, her face brightening with a real smile, "Yes, I am, thank you again."

"How did you fall?" asked Will, glancing up at the only trail on the hill the sisters could have taken.

Julia shrugged, though both boys noted there was a bit of a shiver in it, "I don't know, to be honest, one second I was behind Louisa on the trail, and the next, I was falling."

"Did it feel like someone had pushed you?" Will asked solemnly in a near whisper. Julia's eyes widened, proving Will had asked the right question, even more so when she gulped and slowly nodded.

"What do you mean, it felt like someone pushed you? We were the only ones up there!"

"I-I don't know, Louisa, but it really did feel like someone, or something, had rammed into me." Will and Bran glanced at each other again, this time with worry. Something had rammed her, meaning this was deliberate. But who would want to push this girl? Was something trying to get their attention, and brought these two girls into it? Or was there a more sinister motive behind it?

"What is it?" Louisa asked when she noticed the boys' faces.

"These hills are old, and apparently still have some magic left from the old days. I would advise you to be careful, in fact, it would probably be best if you avoided these hills period." Bran bit his tongue as the two girls glanced at them and each other, Will knew how much to say to people about magic, but there was something about the looks on the girls' faces that suggested magic was no novelty to them. In fact, the two were surprised when Louisa seemed to grow in stature and maturity right before their eyes, followed not long by Julia.

"We've had dealings with magic, it's nothing new to us," she stated with both confidence and courage.

"Apparently so have you," Julia said softly. The boys paused, should they reveal their past? Will apparently made the decision when he nodded, but neither were prepared for Louisa's outburst.

"You're with the Light!"


	2. Sharing Tales

A few days later, Bran and Will had gathered the Drews and introduced them to the Grants, sharing their stories with their new-found friends every time they met up. It took them several days to recount everything that had happened to each group, but for them, every second was worth it. They were just thrilled to be able to share their stories with someone else. The biggest surprises were that the Grants had been to another world, at least three out of the four children, and that Bran was the son of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.

"Man, how did it feel traveling to Wonderland?" Simon Drew quipped as the group sat around the table at the bookstore. The place was pretty much empty except for them, the store clerk had stayed primarily in the break room, it was so slow.

"It's Aedyn, and it's kind of hard to explain," Julia replied.

"Besides, we went through a water hole, not a rabbit hole," retorted Peter.

Barney Drew snickered, "That's not much better." Bertram Grant, having been the only child who didn't go to Aedyn, joined in the humor.

"Barney, be nice!" Jane Drew berated her younger brother. "They've been through just as much as we have! I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that Louisa could tell that Will and Bran were with the Light!"

"I think we're all still doing that, despite her explanation making so much sense," replied Will.

Louisa grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, but I was so excited to see the auras! Sorry again, Bran, if I made you feel like I was judging you."

Bran smiled, "That's perfectly alright, I'd probably do the exact same thing if I was seeing an aura around the guy who just saved my sister."

"Yeah, but, shouldn't we start calling him your majesty? He's the son of King Arthur, after all!" blurted Bertram.

Bran shook his head, "I may be his son, but I'm no prince, nor will I become a king, I'm just an ordinary kid like the rest of you."

"Who's had an extraordinary adventure, like the rest of us," smiled Julia.

"Well, I didn't," muttered Bertram.

Louisa patted her brother's back, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll join on the next one."

"If there will be a next one," he grumbled. Bran and Will shared a glance, Will nodding his approval.

Bran sighed, "There will be." Everyone glanced expectantly at him. "Before I caught Julia, Will and I were talking about how a spell by Merlin could possibly be removed. I-I remembered a time when I was younger, a dragon approached me while my dad was out in the fields and breathed on me." The four Grants glanced at each other nervously. "Let me finish, he told me that I had nothing to fear from him, he was here to give me a message, and that I would remember it when it was time. I guess now's the time."

"Wh-what was the message?" Jane asked.

Bran bit his lip before continuing, "H-he said this, 'You must trust the dragonborn, for though you and your friends will defeat the Dark, you cannot completely vanquish Evil, and you shall face it many more times on your journey. Be brave, Bran, for the next foe you will have to face will be almost worse than the Dark itself.'" Jane uttered a soft gasp as the group glanced at each other, worry and nervousness written all over their faces. Having now heard about the Dark, the Grants could see why that could be a problem, especially since they all did agree that the Shadow of Aedyn could very well have been a manifestation of the Dark on another world.

"Bran, tell them the rest," Will stated softly.

Bran nodded, blinking back tears, "My dog, C-Cafall, came to us at that moment apparently to protect me from what he thought was a danger. But the dragon didn't move nor said a word until Cafall had sat down next to me. Then, um, the dragon said this while looking at Cafall, 'He looks almost exactly like him, he no doubt is your genie.'" Everyone gasped at that statement.

"G-genie, as in, the genie from Aladdin?" Julia blurted.

"But aren't genies in bottles?" asked Peter.

"I've never heard of a genie that looked like a dragon," remarked Barney.

"Neither have I, but I did check the source of the spell, or well, at least tried to, and whoever placed it is very powerful, certainly more so than me," came Will's diagnostic.

Jane glanced at him, "You think the same genie placed that same spell on us?"

Will nodded, "It seems like it's from the same source, but I can't be sure. Are you three absolutely sure you never had an experience like this?" The three shook their heads.

"Nope, not unless genies can also change into humans," replied Barney.

"And bumped into us, placing the spell on us when we weren't looking," chimed in Simon.

Jane shrugged, "That's all we've got, sorry Will."

"No, that's alright, I think you're right."

"You do?"

"Yes, it might be that the genies could trace Bran's lineage, it's not hard to do with their level of magic, and found him first. Then, later, when they noticed you three working with Merriman, they took whatever opportunity they had when the three of you weren't near Merriman and placed the spell on you then."

Simon shrugged, "I guess so, it's the only possible explanation."

"What is it, Louisa?" Julia asked, noticing the look on her step-sister's face.

"What about the end of your story, Bran? What happened from there until the dragon left?"

Bran shrugged, "He merely said to remember to be brave and to let the Light guide me, my allies would be revealed in time. Then he simply flew away. I watched him until I couldn't see him anymore before heading into home. The funny thing is, I know I didn't remember that until just that day when Will and I were talking about it."

"So it really is time, then, isn't it?" Louisa muttered. Everyone glanced at her, their faces in solemn agreement. Bertram had thought of jumping up and shouting the moment he got the chance to go on an adventure with his family, but after everything they had learned, it didn't seem like the adventure would be worth it.

"And I guess that means we're some of your allies," Peter pointed out quietly.

Will nodded as he glanced down at his clenched hands on the table, "So it would seem."

"But who is this new enemy? Do you have other allies we should meet? And when is this all supposed to start? School starts in a few days, and we'll have to be back in England for that," remarked Bertram.

"Then it's a good thing I've got your transport, or you'd never get anything done," stated a voice calmly. The group just about jumped out their chairs at the voice and turned as one to look at the newcomer, mouths dropping in shock. It was the store clerk!


	3. Powerful Strangers

Will promptly stood in front of the group, "What do you mean? What do you know about all of this? Have you been listening this whole time?"

The store clerk winced, "Well, yes, why do you think no one's been in the store these past few days?" He pointed to the front, the group noticed that the open sign was facing them.

Jane was shocked, "You closed the store, for us?" Will raised his hand to silence her, but the store clerk shrugged.

"Well, kind of, I didn't close it just for you though, I closed it for someone else as well. You want to come meet him? He's the one with the transportation."

"But who are you?" Will's question came stern and authoritative.

The clerk took a book off the shelves before replying with, "Mo Folchart, my daughter and I have special powers too."

Barney stepped out from behind Will and blurted, "You do?" Will grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him back. He too was curious about Mr. Folchart's powers, but being an Old One, caution came first. Mo seemed to recognize Will's reluctance to trust him, and opened the book.

"There were three bowls on the table, one steaming hot, one icy cold, and one that was just right." Will let out a gasp before turning towards the table, where three bowls now sat. The group glanced at each other, and the Drews stepped forward to take a taste.

"Ow, this is hot!" exclaimed Simon.

"Brr, this is so cold!" came Jane's verdict.

"Ah, just right!" grinned Barney, right before he yelped as he fell on the floor. "Wh-what happened to the chairs?"

"It's pretty much an exchange, if something, or someone, comes out, something, or someone has to go in." Everyone glanced at him in shock. "That's why I don't like to read out loud."

"It only happens when you read out loud?" Julia asked.

Mo nodded as he turned, "So, are you coming to see my friend, or are you planning to get to your destination the long way around?" The group glanced at each other. Will let out a breath before taking a step forward, leading his friends into Mo's break room. There, sitting around a table, was a girl around their age, with two women, a boy who looked to be a few years older than them, and a man who rose and shook Mo's hand. "Hello, Doctor, how are you today?"

"Feeling much better now that you've helped me find the young heroes of the day," he grinned, glancing at the young group behind Mo.

"What do you know of this?" came Will's stern and sharp question.

The Doctor glanced at him with a bit of surprise, "Well, the young leader of this group doesn't beat around the bush! I like that." He winked, but Will merely crossed his arms. "Alright, alright, but I think it would be easier if I showed you this first." He walked over to a spot in the room and leaned against something, causing a door to open.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" exclaimed Barney.

The Doctor grinned, "Easy, my spaceship is cloaked."

The girl rose from the table, excitement written all over her face, "Mo, may I?"

Mo sighed, "Alright Meggie, as long as Farid goes with you." Meggie glanced at Farid, who merely grinned and rose.

"Did you think I was going to miss this?"

"Great, let's all get in, shall we?" Bran glanced down the doorway, and gasped before rushing into the spaceship. "Well he's enthusiastic."

"You guys wait here. Bran!" Will dashed in after him. Bran turned, a scabbard in his hands before slowly unsheathing the sword. "Bran, that's, that's Eirias!" Bran nodded, a look of worry and relief washing over his face. The Grants and the Drews dashed in to see the legendary sword of Light, with Meggie and Farid crowding around to get their first look at it. Will noticed everyone had gathered, and quickly glanced at the Doctor, closing the door. "Wait! Before you close that door, tell us everything, now!" The Doctor glanced at him, closed the door, and began walking towards them as he spoke.

"Alright, I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, this is my time machine, the Tardis, and I was informed by the genies that your group would be able to defeat the Vashta Nerada."

"You're a Time Lord?"

"You're an alien?"

"This is a spaceship and a time machine?"

"Cool!"

"Th-the Vashta Nerada?"

The Doctor nodded, "Also known as piranhas of the air, they'll eat anything. Well, except for bone, but they will eat you alive, in a matter of seconds." Everyone gulped.

"Wh-what do these, uh, Vashta Nerada, uh, look like?"

The Doctor sighed, "Like shadows."

"Wh-what?"

"Sh-shouldn't they be called shadow piranhas instead?" Barney whimpered.

The Doctor burst out laughing, "The genies thought so too, but they're called air piranhas because they can move in the air much like piranhas move in a stream."

"Ah, makes sense, that'll certainly make them even scarier," muttered Bertram.

"That they are. Now you know everything, any questions?"

"Yeah, where are we going?" asked Peter.

"Good question, two places, actually, the first one is Annapolis, Maryland where we'll pick up the rest of the team before we head onto our final destination, Pinedale, California, where the Vashta Nerada are."

"What are they doing over there?" asked Louisa.

"There's a house that protects portals that go through time, but no one thinks of the shadows of a house as being the actual threat, just hiding it. Well, some of the shadows in this house are apparently doing both."

"OK, but why Annapolis, Maryland?" asked Bran.

The Doctor looked specifically at him, "Because there are more warriors of the light there, and I figured you might like the extra help." The group glanced at each other before Will sighed.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

"We'll be back in time for school, right?" asked Bertram.

The Doctor grinned as he proceeded to push buttons and pull levers, "This is a time machine, I can get you back here a few seconds after we've left."

Jane blinked, "But then Mr. Folchart might think we didn't go at all!"

Meggie laughed, "Mo knows, he's traveled with the Doctor a few times." A little shake just about threw them off their feet.

"Besides, you're not the only ones who's worried about school, the kids from Avalon High are preparing for the same thing, and I'm sure your new friends would like to get their final year of high school over with. Ah, lovely day in Annapolis! Let's go for a run, we might run into the final members of our group!" With that, the Doctor was out the door, but everyone else, even Meggie and Farid, paused at the door to take it all in. They had arrived in Annapolis in a matter of seconds! Will was the first to recover, followed not long afterwards by Bran, the two having time-traveled before.

"Alright, let's enjoy our short time in Annapolis before we head out to find and fight the Vashta Nerada," came Will's voice, snapping them out of their stupor. He lead the way way out and organized them into groups to search the park, finalizing their pow-wow with the instruction to return to the Tardis by nightfall. With that, the group separated, each realizing as they put distance between themselves and the Tardis that they didn't exactly know what to look for, besides students from Avalon High.


	4. Avalon High

"OK, we've been over this part of the park three times already! Can we go do something else now?" Bertram groaned. Bran sighed, he was beginning to think they shouldn't have even brought Bertram with them, the guy whined way too much. He was grateful that Louisa took care of him, but Bran did think she was being a little too patient with him.

"Listen, we'll do one more round, then we'll head back to the Tardis," Louisa told him.

"But . . ."

"But if you're not patient enough, you won't get your adventure," blurted Will. Bran walked up to his friend, fighting to keep the smile from his face. Ah Will, always knowing the right thing to say. Bertram stayed quiet after that, well, that is, he stopped complaining, at least, but he did bring up a good point.

"Why are we checking out the park anyway? Didn't the Doctor say the kids we're supposed to meet go to Avalon High? Shouldn't we head there first? They might be doing orientations, tours, and whatnot."

"You're right, but that doesn't start for another hour," panted a voice. They turned, two older teens stood there, drinking water from their bottles. He was easily six feet tall, with brown wavy hair and blue eyes, while she looked to be about five foot seven and had her brown hair up in a ponytail.

"Um, and you are?"

"I'm Will Wagner, and this is my girlfriend Ellie Harrison, we go to Avalon High. Why are you looking for a few kids from Avalon High?" Bran's eyes grew large, he knew that aura around Will, but, it couldn't be! Could it? True, his father hadn't known about him until just recently and of course didn't give him Excalibur as his inheritance, he got Eirias instead, but why would he hand off his spirit to someone else? But there was no doubt about it, Will Wagner had the spirit of Arthur, so to speak, around him, there was no mistaking it. He dared a glance at Will Stanton, what was going on here?

"Well, to be honest, we're helping a friend out, he didn't give us the reason why we needed to find some kids from Avalon High, that we just had to," came Louisa's calm explanation. It was the truth, except for the Doctor being a friend, they had only just met, but they really didn't know why they had to find some kids from Avalon High, though Will and Bran both thought they knew why now.

"Huh, OK, well, um, we're going to head home to take a shower and change real quick before heading off to the orientations. You wanna tag along?"

"Well, we do have to tell our friend about it, he's the one who got us looking for kids from Avalon High," remarked Louisa. But then Will Wagner noticed Bran, and the two seemed to lock eyes for what felt like hours.

"Will?" came Ellie's voice, snapping them out of whatever stupor they had been in.

"Bran, what is it?" Bran glanced at his friend before Will Wagner spoke.

"Do we know each other? Should we know each other?"

"I-I . . .I . . ."

"Why does it matter? You're going to get to know it each other, aren't you?" Bertram asked. The others glanced at him, but Bran and Will Stanton noticed the look on Ellie's face, this wasn't the first time he had said that.

"Listen, we need to get going and prepare for our orientation. Why don't you meet us at Avalon High in a couple of hours? People are less likely to overhear us," Ellie pointed out, her eyes scanning the park. There were only a few others on the path, some running, some walking, but the majority of them weren't paying attention to this odd little pow-wow. But she was right, they didn't know if any of the passer-bys could catch something that would arouse their curiosity.

"Good point, we'll see you at Avalon High." They separated, though Will, Louisa, Bran, and Bertram took off towards the Tardis at a sprint, eager to tell everyone who they had met. Two hours later, after finally getting everyone up to date on what was going on, the Tardis sat in the parking lot of Avalon High with everyone sitting nearby. There was only a couple of cars present in the lot, meaning just about everybody had left. Not long after arriving, Ellie opened the front doors and beckoned them to follow her. They piled into the foyer and, unlike the Tardis, wasn't roomy enough for all of them to fit, which pushed them into the hall.

"This way, everyone's waiting for us," stated Ellie as she led the way further into the school.

Will glanced at her, "Everyone?"

Ellie nodded without looking back, "If this has anything to do with Will, uh, my Will, being the spirit of King Arthur, then we're in this together, even Mr. Morton." She paused when Bran gasped and glanced back at him. "Who are you in King Arthur's court? Sir Gawain? Sir Galahad?"

Bran laughed bitterly, "I wish. What brought those knights to mind?"

"You fit what I would think one or both of those would be like. I mean, Sir Galahad was the purest, and it has been suggested that Gawain means bright hair, though others have thought hawk of May." Will's eyes grew wide and snapped to Bran's face, his own eyes growing wide. He hadn't thought of it that way, but at least explaining everything might be easier.

"Well, um, actually . . ."

"Why don't we explain it to everybody," interrupted the Doctor as he took a step forward.

"Will doesn't believe that he's King Arthur, even though his half-brother, the spirit of Mordred, has proven it. Technically, I don't believe it either, but there have been . . . instances that make it easier to believe. Even Lance and Jen believe it now too, pretty much everyone in the court but Arthur himself believes." She glanced at them, "So I'm sure Mr. Morton thinks you're here to help him believe. But that's also why I need to know first what your connection to King Arthur is, especially since, supposedly, I'm the Lady of the Lake, it's kinda my job to look after him." Jane uttered a gasp and Bran could see a hint of longing in her eyes. After having connected to the Lady of the Lake as an Old One, her passing had hit Jane the hardest. Bran glanced at Will, who nodded.

Bran let out a sigh before replying with, "I'm not a knight of the round table, my lady. I am Arthur's son, by Queen Guinevere."


	5. Pride Win

It took them several more days to explain everything, and to have everything explained. Will Wagner, who decided to go by William for Will's sake, and everyone else for that matter, just sat back and listened in. He did come to believe in the Light, Aedyn, and Silvertongues, but he didn't believe that he was the spirit of Arthur, especially after Bran revealed his relationship to the mighty king.

"I mean, how could I be Arthur? You could be my younger brother!"

Bran smacked his head, "We're not physically related, William."

"Besides, you are Arthur! Isn't Arthur your first name?" blurted Bertram. "What?" he asked when everyone started laughing.

"Good one, Bertram, good one. Remind him of how everything fits into place," snickered Simon. Bertram crossed his arms, slightly annoyed.

"But Bertram is right," remarked Louisa. "Your first name is Arthur."

"Yeah, but I go by my middle name because my dad's name is also Arthur. I don't want to have the same name as him. Just sharing last names is bad enough," William muttered.

"It's your name, you do with it what you want, just know this, I only know one Arthur Wagner, and I think he's a great guy," Peter stated.

William beamed, "Thanks man, that means a lot. But once you meet my dad, you'll understand."

"Then let's not meet your dad. I mean, that should be easy considering you're camping out at your girlfriend's house," came Barney's tidbit.

William smiled, "Yeah, I guess so. So, did your weird friend explain to you guys why you had to find us?"

Will sighed, "I don't think he needs to, especially now that we know about, well, uh, your least favorite subject, besides your dad."

"Oh, having the spirit of King Arthur isn't my least favorite topic, I mean, it would be really cool. I just don't believe it. I mean, didn't you and Bran meet the real spirit of King Arthur?"

"We did meet the real spirit of Arthur, but that's not what I've been trying to explain. You don't have the spirit of Arthur, as in, he reincarnating into you, that just doesn't happen. No, it's a, um, shall we say, a power that passes from person to person, and you're the one with it for this age. You may have some of his memories, sure, but only the most common ones, like becoming the best of friends with Lancelot or dating Guinevere, but you're probably the first to date the Lady of the Lake." Everyone seemed to glance at Ellie when Will mentioned the Lady of the Lake. Bran understood what Will was trying to say, but he couldn't help but think that these teens were in fact the reincarnations of his parents and their friends. Jane and Ellie became super close in a matter of days, and Jen had been doting on him like he was her younger brother, or her son. But there was the fact that he, Will, and the Drews had seen Arthur, Merlin, and the Lady of the Lake not too long ago when they defeated the Dark, so there was no way these guys were their reincarnations, especially the Lady of the Lake and Merlin.

"Yeah, well, just a few coincidences aren't enough to convince me that I am King Arthur. However, if your friend figured that we'd help you in your new adventure, you can count me in," grinned William. His dog, Cavalier, barked, seemingly with enthusiasm, from his place between William and Bran. Both Bran and William petted the dog as the group chuckled.

"Sounds like Cavalier wants in too," snickered Lance.

William sighed, "Sorry boy, but you'll have to stay here and keep an eye on Elle's parents while we're gone, alright?" He snuck a glance at Bran, the same thought going through his head, neither of them wanted another dog to die.

"So, you're all in?" asked Jane.

"Absolutely," came Ellie's answer.

"I wouldn't miss it," winked Lance.

"Of course! I'm not going to be left out," finished Jen.

"Great! Do you think Mr. Morton will come too?" asked Meggie.

Ellie shrugged, "I don't know, your friend might have an answer by now."

"Well then, let's head back to shore and find out, shall we?" William steered his Pride Win back towards the coast. They hadn't gone very far, taking them only half an hour to get back. It did take a little while longer for everyone to help moor the boat and get everyone off, even more so when Bertram had to ponder the question of how their adventure would go. Will explained everything that the Doctor had told them, including the bit about the Vashta Nerada, realizing after he had finished that it actually wasn't much. But the little he could tell, made the Avalon High-schoolers pause in their enthusiasm.

"S-so, b-basically, w-we have to face a-alien sh-shadows th-that ea-eat people?" Lance finally managed to say.

"That pretty much sums it up, though I think Bran and I will be doing most of the fighting," replied Will, glancing at Bran with a sudden understanding in his eyes. Bran blinked, then widened in realization, Eirias! The genies must have realized that the crystal sword, along with Bran's and Will's Light powers, could alone defeat such a dangerous shadow! Of course! And there had been six people who defeated the light, with William Wagner, that circle would be complete again! Unless they needed a seventh person, in which case Ellie Harrison, or any of the Grants, would fill that spot rather well.

"OK, then, if you'd rather have us on crowd control, then I can handle that," remarked Lance. Jen nodded as well, though William and Ellie still seemed unsure.

"Are you sure it would just be you and Bran?" William asked.

"It would have to be, Bran and I are the only ones who really have any power of Light capable of defeating it. Unless you're willing to believe in being King Arthur, and with Ellie as Lady of the Lake . . ."

"No, she's not going to fight," came William's stern command. Will seemed taken back by the tone in William's voice, and looked like he was about to kneel before him. But he caught himself and merely shook his head.

"I don't want to involve any more than the three of us as necessary. Between the three of us, we can defeat this alien species. Besides, the Lady of the Lake never took part in Arthur's battles, she merely gave him the tools necessary to win." William nodded, his shoulders relaxing with relief.

"Alright, then I guess we'll help you."

"Great, then let's go find the Doctor and Mr. Morton. I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

"I can see why," muttered Lance as the group followed Will and William off the dock. Bran, being the last, thought he had heard a squeak when he put his foot down on a plank. He glanced down, trying to find the source of the sound, when he noticed the bones of a rat next to the dock on the shore.

"Bran, come on!" Bran's head snapped up, the others were a few feet ahead of him now, Jane and Julia waving their arms at him. He raced across the dock to catch up to them, a dark shadow slowly following in his wake before quickly streaking across the sand to a rarely-traveled path back into the city.


	6. To California

"So, are we all set?" asked the Doctor. He glanced over at the kids glancing around the Tardis. "Well, are you ready?"

William snapped out of his stupor first, "Uh, yeah, I guess. Sorry, but, this is the first time we've ever been in a time machine . . . of an alien."

The Doctor grinned as he got the Tardis moving, "Naturally, I wouldn't have even offered you a ride if it wasn't of great importance."

"And if the genies hadn't told you about us," commented Will.

"Well, there's that too."

"Can you tell us some more about the genies?" Barney asked.

"Aren't they supposed to have lamps?" Simon pointed out.

"Well, they did, a long time ago. Somehow, well, they didn't tell me everything, but somehow they were freed and they moved to another planet." The Tardis gave a little lurch as it came to a stop. "And, we're here! Welcome to Pinedale, California!"

"Real quick, Doctor, why are the genies back?" Louisa quickly asked.

Doctor glanced at her before he answered, somewhat slowly at first, "Apparently their world is in trouble and they need young heroes to help them save it. I guess my help isn't enough, they need a lot of warriors to fight off some evil trying to take over their world."

"A-are we some of those heroes?" Bertram asked.

The Doctor shrugged, "I don't know, they didn't say, they just offered to help me defeat some of Earth's greatest enemies while they searched the planet for these heroes. And they told me that all of you were needed to defeat the Vashta Nerada."

"But, why, if only Will and Bran, and maybe even William, are the ones who can actually defeat the Vashta Nerada?" Peter asked.

"I don't know, unless it's by the actions of several of you that not only defeat the Vashta Nerada, but that keep the three of them alive. The genies can only see a part of the future, not all of it."

"Oh, OK, that makes sense," remarked Peter.

"OK, let's try this again. Welcome to Pinedale, California! We're going to have to do some hunting again, this time we have to find an old, eerie house that contains doors through time. Shouldn't be too hard, Pinedale is probably one third the size of Annapolis."

"So, uh, how do we want to do this?" Bertram asked.

"Split up into three groups, one led by Will, one led by William, and the third led by Bran," suggested the Doctor.

"Why don't you lead a group?" William asked.

"Because I'm going to search by myself," he answered with finality before taking off. Will sighed and set about putting together the groups, again, after lunch. Barney had noticed which direction the Doctor took, letting Will assign the groups directions. He took Louisa, Bertram, Lance and Jen and headed north, while William, Ellie, Simon, Jane, and Barney went east and Bran, Julia, Peter, Meggie, and Farid went west. Will's group came upon the city's tourist information center, giving them the opportunity to ask about any old houses on the outskirts of Pinedale, pretending to be interested in haunted houses.

"Oh yes!" exclaimed the woman at the counter. "There's that old Victorian house the Kings just moved into."

"Oh," muttered Will, feigning disappointment.

"I don't see why you can't talk to them about giving you a tour of the place, or if they have enough room to let you spend the night." Will grinned sheepishly, he wasn't exactly sure if they'd all be able to fit. Unless they had help from the Doctor.

"Well, maybe it would be best to do that, considering they're the only ones with an old house in the area. May I have the directions, please?"

"Of course!" The woman drew on a map the location and the best route to take to get there. Will glanced at the map and his eyes just about bulged, Bran's group was taking that path! As a matter of fact, a few minutes later, Bran's group stumbled across a house in the woods.

"This must be it!" Julia gasped as the group seemed to huddle together a little closer. No one had to mention it, they could tell, this place was giving them all the creeps.

Bran sighed, "Well, let's go in."

"Wait! What if someone is living here?" Farid asked.

"How could anyone live in a place like this?" Meggie asked.

"That's a good point, but we should proceed with caution, who knows if anyone is here," pointed out Peter.

"Right, so, doorbell then?" Bran asked as he moved forward. The other four quickly followed, glancing around the woods to see if they were being followed or if anyone was watching from the shadows, especially if the shadows were moving of their own accord. The five made it to the front door without any hinderance, but everything seemed to slow down as Bran moved forward to push the doorbell. The bell seemed to echo throughout the house, and the woods. If no one had known they were there earlier, they certainly knew now. But a few minutes had passed, and no one came to the door. Bran tried the door then, but found that it was locked, as he figured. Well, sort of, there was a fifty-fifty chance the door was unlocked, but knowing now that it was a hundred percent locked, he figured it was time to look over the entire house.

"OK, well, we're not getting in by the front door. Let's split up and look over the house, see if we can get in through a window. I'll take the right. Who wants to go left?" Farid and Meggie raised their hands. Bran just about let out a sigh of relief. "OK, guess that means Peter and Julia are coming with me. Meet you at the back."

Farid and Meggie nodded, "Right." They bounded off the porch and went to the left of the house, while the other three quickly made their way to the right. Peter, Bran, and Julia were not having much luck, until Farid and Meggie let them in through one of the ground-floor windows.

"How did you get in?" asked Julia as she got through the window and into the kitchen.

Farid shrugged as he pointed to the other end of the house, "There was a window that wasn't latched, it was pretty easy." He paused, a hint of mystery entering his tone, "Almost too easy."

"And there are people living here!" Meggie included incredulously. Bran clenched his teeth as he glanced around the kitchen, there were signs of people living here. He glanced at the clock, it was only nine o'clock, but if they only had to go out for groceries, who knew when they'd be back.

"Let's make this quick, we don't know when they'll get back."

"But how are we going to look over the house?" asked Peter as they followed Bran out of the kitchen.

"Forget the first floor, doesn't look like much would be happening here. We'll take a quick walk-through of the second floor, but we definitely have to be a bit slower in the basement and the attic."

Meggie nodded, sighing, "Yeah, that's where everything usually happens in a horror movie."

Peter blinked, "I thought you said you only read books?"

Meggie scoffed, "You can thank Farid for the movies." Farid grinned sheepishly.

"Let's head up to the attic first and work our way down."

"Right." The five bolted up the stairs, each going as fast as they could. Bran was beginning to think that they would have to make the quick walk-through of the second floor just to find the attic, until they entered the master bedroom. There they found a wall in shambles, plus some material for rebuilding, it would seem, and beyond that was a hidden room and a set of stairs.

"I think we found it," whispered Julia. Bran nodded, unsheathed Eirias, and bolted up the stairs, Farid close on his heels with a small flame in his hand. Meggie, Julia, and Peter quickly followed, the five stopping short at the top of the stairs.

"OK, this . . . this is starting to look like something out of a horror movie," muttered Peter as the five gazed down the crooked, hotel-looking hallway.

"So, why would they stay?" asked Meggie.

"Only reason why, something happened. Either someone they loved was kidnapped, or someone got lost in time. Looks pretty easy to do."

"Then let's make this quick, we don't want to get ourselves lost either, if that was the case. Farid, can you have a little stream of fire over that shadow right there?" asked Bran as he pointed out a shadow on the far wall. At first glance it looked fine, but then they noticed what Bran was beginning to grasp, there really wasn't anything casting that shadow. Farid nodded and proceeded with caution, Bran hot on his heels, Eirias at the ready. Farid let loose a stream of fire in front of the shadow, and when it didn't disappear like all the other shadows around it, Bran leapt into action. Letting loose a string of Welsh words, he stabbed the shadow with Eirias. There was a hissing sound that began to grow, sounding like a snake in pain. Bran grunted as the shadow seemed to flail under the point of the sword. Finally, the shadow seemed to shrink in size and sound before disappearing with a little pop. Bran backed away, huffing, as Farid lit up the wall again before checking the corners for any extra Vashta Nerada.

"Did you get it?"

"I think so. Farid?"

"All of these are regular shadows," reported Farid.

"Alright! You did it!" jumped Julia.

"That was actually quicker than I thought," stated Peter.

Bran glanced at him, "That was, there might be more, in the basement."

"Then let's go before any of the people who live get back home," remarked Meggie. The five bounded down the stairs, pausing as they heard a sound that nearly made their hearts stop.

"Shoot, there's a car coming!" blurted Peter as he let the curtains fall.

"How far out?"

"About a couple of miles, it's easy to see it through the trees."

"Oh no, what do we do? We can't let them catch us!" exclaimed Meggie.

"Even though we are technically breaking-and-entering," muttered Farid.

"To save their lives," pointed out Julia.

Bran thought quickly, "Farid, can you get out of the living room window by yourself?"

Farid nodded, relief flooding his face, "Absolutely."

"Alright, we're going back through the kitchen window. Make sure it's secured before heading to the living room. This will be close, but don't leave until he, or she, has entered the house, you'll be seen otherwise. And be as quiet as possible."

"Always, like a mouse."

"Good, let's go!" The five darted back to the kitchen, where Farid helped them climb out the window single file before closing and locking the window. He moved quickly to the living room, not a sound could be heard from his feet. He began to sweat as the seconds ticked, every muscle ready to move at the sound of the front door closing. He heard the car door close first before the sound of footsteps resounded on the front porch. A key jingled in the lock and the door slowly opened. Farid could hear some grunting, the person must have returned with some groceries. Though it would have been a great distraction, Farid knew the groceries would be dropped the instance he was seen. Finally, the door closed and there was some moving about in the foyer. Farid didn't waste another second, he slipped out the window, as quiet as a shadow. He quickly joined his friends, and the five tore off through the forest, eager to get everyone to the house and to actually enter through the front door.


End file.
